Shrek Clears Its Name

The members of Shrek Academy stared at the scene before them, at a loss for what to do.

Xuan Zi's sudden move had caught everyone off guard. In an instant, they found themselves surrounded by questioning looks from the entire audience.

They squirmed under those stares. With the situation unbearably awkward and Just Sky Academy leaving the arena, they could only grit their teeth and leave as well.

"Damn it. Xuan Zi was too impulsive this time. Now we're in serious trouble."

Mu Jin's brow furrowed, his heart full of anxiety.

He had no power to stop Xuan Zi. Neither his cultivation nor his standing gave him that right.

But after this uproar, Shrek Academy's reputation was bound to suffer. The rest of the tournament would only grow harder.

No. I can't let public opinion spiral out of control. I have to find a way to turn this around...

At the back of the group, Ling Luochеn and Jiang Nannan wore complicated expressions. Neither said a word, and they unconsciously put a little distance between themselves and the teammates ahead.

Jiang Nannan's gaze kept drifting toward Tang Ya and Xu Sanshi. She didn't know what to feel.

On the fourth day of the tournament, Star Luo Plaza was packed from early morning. Cheers rose and fell, echoing throughout the arena.

Xuan Zi's public outburst two days earlier had drawn a flood of criticism toward Shrek Academy. But Shrek's long-standing prestige remained, and its popularity was still high.

Meanwhile, Just Sky Academy, the dark horse of this year's tournament, was drawing just as much attention. The number of people cheering for them even seemed to surpass Shrek's.

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xu Sanshi had put on performances too dazzling to ignore. Plenty of people still had doubts, but even more were eager to see their next matches.

Today marked the start of the round-robin stage, and everyone wanted to know how the strongest teams would be grouped.

Even Xu Jiawei, the emperor of the Star Luo Empire, who rarely watched the matches in person, had taken his seat in the imperial viewing stand early to await the start.

Once the pre-match festivities ended, the host read out the list of teams advancing to the next round, then announced the round-robin groups.

"Group One: Shrek Academy, Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy, Thousand Spirit Academy, Just Sky Academy, Dou Ling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy..."

"What?!"

Mu Jin's face darkened the moment he heard the grouping.

"We're in the same group as Just Sky Academy."

"We'll face them in our third round-robin match..."

The entire Shrek team fell silent. The mood grew unbearably heavy.

Shrek's team was badly depleted. Only Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochеn could hold their own.

Dai Yueheng, Xixi, and the other mainstays were still recovering from their injuries. Whether they could return in time for the later matches remained uncertain.

In Just Sky Academy's rest area, Ye Wuqing, Tang Xiaolei, and the others couldn't help feeling nervous when they heard the grouping.

Shrek's reputation as the continent's top academy loomed large. Even weakened, it was still a force to reckon with. Ma Xiaotao alone would be a difficult opponent.

Fortunately, Song Que spoke up to reassure them, and they gradually settled down.

"Don't be nervous. They're the ones who should be worried."

"Same plan as usual. Our opponents in the first two matches aren't especially strong, so you can compete as normal."

"For the third match against Shrek, Bei Bei, Sanshi, and I will take the field."

Song Que turned to Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei. "How have you felt these past two days? You've seemed much more stable since your martial souls awakened."

Both nodded.

Xu Sanshi looked puzzled. "Strange. Every time my martial soul awakened before, it felt like I was shedding a layer of skin."

"But training has gotten easier each day."

"At this rate, it won't be long before I can fully control my martial soul."

Bei Bei looked thoughtful as he turned to Song Que. "Same here. My control keeps improving, and the aftereffects of the awakening keep fading."

He rubbed his chin and asked tentatively, "Do these changes have something to do with you?"

Song Que smiled faintly. "Who knows..."

Just as the matches were about to begin, Mu Jin strode onto the field and interrupted the proceedings.

Every eye in the arena turned to him. No one could tell what he intended to do.

The referee frowned and was about to reprimand him, but Mu Jin hurried over and spoke to the referee in a low voice.

After a moment's hesitation, the referee nodded his permission and handed him the amplifying Soul Tool.

Mu Jin took a deep breath and addressed the crowd. "Everyone, please quiet down. I'm Mu Jin, the teacher leading Shrek Academy's team. I have a few things to explain."

In the imperial viewing stand, Xu Jiawei's brow sank. He was displeased that Shrek had interrupted the event without permission.

But with Xuan Zi, Shrek's Super Douluo, hidden somewhere nearby, he held back his anger to avoid a confrontation.

The spectators and competing teams were baffled. They fell silent and waited for him to continue.

"To everyone watching, and to the teachers and students of every academy competing here: many rumors about Shrek Academy have spread these past two days. I'm sure they've led to misunderstandings and doubts about us."

"But the truth will speak for itself. Right and wrong will become clear in time."

"You've probably noticed that Shrek's team this year is weaker overall, with only two or three members capable of putting up a strong fight."

"Many have mocked Shrek as unworthy of its reputation. Today, I'll explain the situation truthfully."

"Of the students representing Shrek this year, only two are official team members. All the others are reserves who were away from the academy for field training."

"We didn't enter the tournament with a depleted roster because we took it lightly. We had no choice."

"Before setting out for Star Luo City, all our official team members, along with some of the reserves, were ordered to the Mingdou Mountain Range to carry out a mission against a band of thieves led by Evil Soul Masters."

"Shrek could not shirk its duty to protect the people nearby and preserve order across the continent."

"But those Evil Soul Masters were powerful and cunning. The fighting was brutal. Several of our official team members tragically lost their lives, while the remaining mainstays were all gravely wounded. They're recovering at the academy and cannot compete."

"That is the real reason Shrek entered this year's tournament with a depleted team."

"Shrek has stood up for the safety of the continent year after year, never counting the cost. I'm explaining this today because I hope you won't be misled by baseless rumors. Please don't let the unfortunate clash two days ago erase everything these students have given or dishearten these children who only wanted to do what was right."

With that, Mu Jin bowed deeply to the crowd, then turned and walked back to the team's waiting area.

The arena fell silent for several seconds. Then applause broke out across the crowd.

"What a joke. Hypocritical Shrek."

A voice rang out abruptly from the stands.

A middle-aged man rose to his feet, holding an amplifying Soul Tool. His voice carried across the entire plaza.

"Jing Hongchen?!"

"He's here!"